Google & Samsung Sign Mutual Patent License Agreement

It is no secret that Google and Samsung have been at the helm of the Android rise. Where Google has been updating the OS every year with improvements, Samsung has been setting up parameters for the smartphones in Android OS. Its Galaxy S series and Note series are considered one of the best smartphones out in the market.

Also, while Google has been allying with other vendors for its Nexus phones and Samsung has been working on Tizen and while this might create a rift between them in future as of now, the two companies are thick friends. The recent patent deal again ensures that the two companies will be collaborating for years to come.

The two companies went into a partnership with a global patent cross-license agreementthat will cover wide range of areas from technology to business. This agreement is not just for the current patents as well and would continue for any patent filed in the next 10 years.

With access to each other’s patents, a deeper collaboration can be expected between the two companies along with faster innovation as repetition will reduce for both the companies.

According to Dr. Seungho Ahn, the Head of Samsung’s Intellectual Property Center-“This agreement with Google is highly significant for the technology industry. Samsung and Google are showing the rest of the industry that there is more to gain from cooperating than engaging in unnecessary patent disputes,”

It is yet to be seen how much impact this patent has on the technology industry. Nevertheless, it is a great to see two companies trying to bridge gaps instead of finding ways to sue each other. Also, it denotes that despite Google taking over Motorola and now owning a hardware company, Samsung and Google are still finding ways to collaborate and are not drifting apart.

It will also be very interesting to see as to how Apple responds to this deal. Patents have been one of their main weapons to safe-guard innovations that come so thick-and-fast in mobile Industry. With Samsung & Google now joining hands and mutually sharing their patents, they now have a much stronger opponent to deal with!

A graduate from IIT-Roorkee, Kunal Prakash’s love for technology was at first sight and everlasting. He is currently enjoying the first stint as a professional after leaving over 20 years of schooling. You can follow him on facebook or visit his blog for his other musings.